[Cronos]

from the article The United Kingdom embodies the belief that people with distinct histories and identities can live together, and that their diversity makes their culture, their economy and their polity stronger.

[Cronos]

If Scotland does leave I predict the following:

• It will be Scandanavian style socialism
• Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides will break away from Scotland
• Wales will eventually break away from England, perhaps in the next decade
• Northern Ireland will join Ireland -- the religious differences no longer are so wide
• The Labour party will be more entrenched in Yorkshire and Lancastershire while the Tories will be entrenched in the south. This could trigger a seccession movement over time
• England, even if not divided between north and south, will be a third rate power and really a rump state
• Catalonia and the Basque region will be moved to declare their own independence
• Perhaps even Brittany would push for it's independence (though I doubt it -- the centralising force in France is too strong)
• Belgium will permanently break with the north becoming Flanders (I doubt it would join the Netherlands)
• Bavaria will break away from Germany, perhaps Swabia as well (though I doubt the latter)
• Ditto for Sardinia and Corsica
• Italy will muddle through
• Macedonia will reunite with Bulgaria and Montenegro with Serbia and Romania with Moldovia
• This will completely up-end the power balance in the EU..

[VanDeKoik]

a new Scottish state would have to set up an army, a welfare system, a currency and much else”

Army? They will depend on the Royal Navy, RAF, and military to protect them. The UK will be treated as a buffer state.

Welfare? They are promising everyone free money. I guess oil money is what they are hoping to pay them off with.

Currency? They will either hop onto the Euro or leech off of the Pound.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Sean Connery/Rowdy Roddy Piper 2016

[GeronL]

Let them go. They’ll be begging to be let in less than a decade.

[EternalVigilance]

Edward I is going to have to come back from the grave and kick their butts all over again.

[the scotsman]

Yes, we can. And it has worked for 307 years.